MAMA Off To A Bad Start?

Mnet announced a new annual music event, Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) and also this year’s nominees list on October 23 (see more).

Following the release of the nominee list, many netizens are unhappy about it and how nominees are chosen for each category. Following that, MAMA continues to fall under criticism with trot singers Park Hyun Bin and Jang Yoon Jung revealing that they will boycott the event. (article)

More news came up today that SM Ent will also be boycotting the event, and DSP also revealed that SS501 and possibly even KARA will not be attending the event.

SM singers boycotts MAMA

Artists managed under major talenthouse SM Entertainment have declared they will boycott the year-end music award ceremony held by cable music channel Mnet.

SM, who manages some of Korea’s top singers including Girls’ Generation, Super Junior and SHINee, announced in a press release on Tuesday that they would not participate in the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) set for November 21.

They explained that they cannot trust the criteria and standard of fairness used in making their selections, citing that Girls’ Generation, who had topped a music chart for nine consecutive weeks, had never taken first place on Mnet’s show and only entered their charts a month after their album was released.

The nine-member girl group’s single “Gee” was a sensation throughout the country upon its release early this year, dominating music charts for over two months.

SM also requested their artists be removed from a mobile poll which asks participants to pay a fee to place a vote, saying they “do not want to see fans suffer any damage from the poll which has commercial intentions”.

SM is the second agency after Inwoo Production to boycott the music festival. Inwoo, managing two of Korea’s top younger trot singers Jang Yoon-jeong and Park Hyun-bin, announced yesterday that they will not attend MAMA, also questioning the fairness of the awards ceremony.

Mnet will be holding the MAMA for the first time this year in place of its ten-year long Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF).

DSP plays down MAMA boycott rumour

DSP Media on Wednesday played down rumors from earlier in the day which said that their group SS501 will not attend a year-end music award ceremony held by cable music channel Mnet to boycott the event.

“We are not boycotting the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA),” stated an official at DSP Media. He explained that the five-member group will not be able to attend the event as they are busy promoting their new album “Rebirth” and have to travel overseas to hold concerts as part of their Asia tour.

The official added that they are currently debating on whether their girl group Kara will attend the event.

Mnet will be holding the MAMA for the first time this year in place of its ten-year long Mnet KM Music Festival (MKMF) but several top talenthouses in Korea have questioned its standard of fairness and said they will not take part in the event.

SM Entertainment, which manages several of Korea’s most popular artists including Girls’ Generation, Super Junior and SHINee, as well as Inwoo Production, in charge of two top trot singers Jang Yoon-jeong and Park Hyun-bin, have declared they will boycott the MAMA.